About Me

I was a reporter and columnist for 40 years for a chain of newspapers in the suburbs of Chicago. I'm a military veteran having served in the United States Army Combat Engineers (Cpl. E-4) and a Korean War veteran with an Honorable Discharge from the Armed Forces of the United States of America

Monday, June 8, 2009

This video is a collection of footage showing the 2nd Company of the 10th Mountain Division in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The footage is a spectacular. WATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/vS9wmvCQnpk&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

This is a different look at our GIs in Iraq from inside the wire where a little humor is needed to break the drudgery of day-to-day operations. Song: "Folsom Prison" by Johnny Cash.WATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/KkJQ76GActQ&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

A blog reader called EMP wrote to ask if I could dig up a video on the 277th of the 10th Mountain Division. This is the video of the 277th QRF on a dangerous patrol in Afghanistan. TURN UP YOUR SOUNDWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/6D5nuBQlN8Q&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

The Central Court of North Korea sentenced Laura Ling and Euna Lee for the "grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing," the Korean Central News Agency said.

As a result, the court sentenced the women to "12 years of reform through labor," meaning they will serve out their sentence in a labor camp.

The U.S. State Department said it had seen the reports of the convictions and was trying to confirm it with Korean authorities."We are deeply concerned by the reported sentencing of the two American citizen journalists by North Korean authorities, and we are engaged through all possible channels to secure their release," said spokesman Ian Kelley in a statement. "We once again urge North Korea to grant the immediate release of the two American citizen journalists on humanitarian grounds."Ling and Lee were taken into custody March 17. They are reporters for California-based Current TV, a media venture of former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. Watch more on Monday's sentencing of the journalists »

According to media reports, the trial began Thursday. Much of the time, the only news coming from the secretive and isolated communist nation is relayed through the state media.Don't Miss

The U.S. State Department was informed by the Swedish ambassador to North Korea that no observers were allowed in the courtroom.EDITORIAL COMMENT: Now that the two female journalists have been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in North Korea, I hope I don't hear any right winger suggesting we go to war with North Korea. I was in the Army during the last Korean War and 60% of my Combat Company were either killed or wounded in Korea. They are ruthless fighters and will easily die for their country. Last week that right wing idiot Bill Krystol said we should "target" North Korea with air strikes. Does that little mope have any idea what would happen if we did that? North Korea would wipe South Korea and our 35,000 troops stationed on the DMZ off the map in ONE DAY.